Apparatus for treating permeable sheets such as animal skins,leather and the like



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United States Patent C) APPARATUS FOR TREATING PERMEABLE SHEETS ISJUKCI AS ANIMAL SKINS, LEATHER AND THE.

I Irne .Iullien and Claude Pillard, Lyon, France, assignors to Centre Technique du Cuir, Lyon, France Filed June 23, 1966, Ser. No. 559,906 Claims priority, application France, July 1, 1965, 46,178

U.S. CL 69-29 1 Claim Int. Cl. C14c 1/00; C14c 9/00 ABSTRACT F THE DISCLOSURE Apparatus for treating hides and the like by the use of a fluid applicator cell and a vacuum cell between which are llo-cated pervious and perforated members, the applicator being deformable to adapt to the shape of the article being processed.

This invention relates to apparatus for treating hides and the like.

It is often necessary, when treating a product, toreplace one liquid carried in a permeable sheet by another suiting the treatment to be effected. The diffusing methods generally employed often requires very long operations, but one faster method consists of forcing said liquid to pass through the material undergoing treatment by producing a difference in pressure between the two sides of the material.

A typical example of the Ifaster method is one using a porosimeter constituted by two cells, one of which is connected with a vacuum circuit and the other with a circuit carrying the treating liquid. The permeable sheet tto be treated is inserted between the two cells which are urged against each other so as to form a fluid-tight connection with the sheet undergoing treatment. The liquid fills the fluid-tight chamber extending between one said cell and the sheet to be treated. Vacuum is then produced in the other cell, so that the liquid passes through the sheet to be treated.

In this method, however, a substantial difficulty is encountered by reason that the properties of the materials to be treated vary as to shape and size with each article, as is the case in particular for animal skins. As a matter of fact, in s-uch a case it is essential for the material to lie ywithin the perimeter of the treating frame and this results in the impossibility of making use of said material for insuring fluid-tightness between the two cells.

U.S. Patent 2,702,229 discloses a method and means.

for treating permeable sheets by fluids subjected to pressure. In the apparatus described in said patent, a yielding impervious diaphragm covers entirely the treating frame over which is previously laid the sheet to be treated, togethei with spacing means which allow the treating uid to cover the sheet to be treated. A differential pressure exerted -on the frame urges said diaphragm onto the parts of said frame which are not covered by the sheet to be treated. The surface to be treated is thus theoretically deined but, as a matter of fact, the commercial use of such an apparatus is an intricate matter by reason of the difference in pressure essential for its operation.

A poor adjustment produces either a contact between the diaphragm and the material to be treated, or else leaks of liquid consequent to a release of the diaphragm from the edges lof the material to be treated. In both cases, a commercial embodiment is not really practical by reason of a large expenditure of treating liquid.

A further difficulty appears when introducing the treating liquid between the diaphragm and the sheet to be treated. In order to allow such an operation, the diaphragm is provided with an opening inits center, while a spacing Patented Jan. 21, 1969 ICC member holds the diaphragm above the material to be treated` at the moment of the introduction of the liquid, the diaphragm -being shifted away from the leather or the like material under the action of liquid pressure.

In addition to the difficulty of introducing spacing means between the sheet to be treated and the diaphragm, there is a further difficulty due to the weight of said diaphragm. As a matter of fact, if the pressure of liquid is not suficient, the diaphragm extends in contact with the sheet to be treated and a very poor distribution of the treating liquid is obtained. This phenomenon is readily observed when only a few millimeters of liquid remain over the sheet to be treated.

All these different drawbacks are such that a commercial embodiment of an apparatus executed in conformity with the a-b-ove-mentioned patent is not satisfactory.

Our invention has as an object the avoidance of all these drawbacks and to this end it provides an improved apparatus for treating permeable sheets such as animal skins, leather and the like.

The apparatus according to our invention includes a lower cell, preferably in the shape of a funnel, closed in the plane of its upper opening by a porous compound body carried within a rigid frame stretched across or laid over said body and acting as a support for the material to be treated and an upper cell including a second rigid` frame identical with the frame of the lower cell,.a rigid plate of a circular or polygonal outline extending above said second -frame and an elastic diaphragm insuring a uidtight connection between said secfond frame and said plate, while a pipe passing centrally through said plate connects the upper cell on the one hand with external atmbosphere and on the other hand with a container for the treating fluid, whereas the lower cell is provide-d at its 'bottom with a pipe connecting it with a source of vacuum.

Thus, when vacuum is applied to the lower cell and the container of treating fiuid is out off by a gate, a speedier flow of air through last-mentioned pipe and the porous body extending 'beyond the edge of the sheet to be treated has as its result a tight engagement between the elastic diaphragm and said fraction of the porous body, where- 'by the surface of the sheet of material to be treated is accurately defined by the diaphragm. It is then possible to allow the treating liquid to flow into the deformable upper cell bounded by the material to be treated, the elastic diaphragm and rigid plate. Ultimately, the treating liuid is sucked out of said upper cell through the sheet to be treated as provided by the vacuum acting in the lofwer cell.

According to a preferred embodiment of the invention, the upper cell is capped by a rigid fluid-tight bell-shaped member the inside of which is connected together with the pipe connecting the defonmable upper celll with the container of treating fluid, with a supply of gas under pressure the operation of which may in fact be cut out by opening a gate connecting said supply with the outer atmosphere.

According to a still further feature of our invention it is possible to adapt readily said apparatus for any condition of treatment as provided by a Vertical adjustment of the rigid plate carrying the elastic diaphragm, which has for its result a modification in the volume of the deformable cell.

Our invention will be readilly understood from a reading of the following description of three embodiments of said invention given by way of example and in a nonlirmiting sense.

In the accompanying drawings illustrating said embodiments:

FIG. l is a vertical axial cross-sectional and diagrammatical View of a first embodiment of the invention', and

FIGS. 2 and 3 are vertical axial cross-sectional views similar to FIG. 1 showing two modifications of the first embodiment.

In FIG. l is illustrated an apparatus incorporating our invention and comprising a lower funnel-shaped cell 2 which may, in fact, have any other shape insuring a sufiicient rigidity when subjected to a vacuum. Into the bottom of said lower cell 2, there opens a pipe 3 adapted to connect said cell with a source of vacuum which is not illustrated; the upper edge of the lower cell 2 is reinforced by a frame 4Vcarrying a perforated plate 5 extending in a plane defining the upper opening of the cell 2, said plate being made of a material which is suliiciently rigid for it to resist the action of the vacuum. Over said plate 5 is laid a porous compound body 6 constituted, for instance, by a plate of wool felt or like porous material.

The upper deformable cell 7 includes a frame 8 identical with the frame `4 of the lower cell 2 and a rigid plate 9 rigidly secured to the frame 8 by any suitable means which are not illustrated; the plate 9 and frame 8 are furthermore iiuidtightly connected by an elastic frustoconical diaphragm 11.

Through the plate 9 there extends centrally a pipe 12 connecting the upper cell 7 through the agency of a gate 13 with a container 14 carrying the treating uid. A shunt pipe 15 branching from the pipe 12 connects the inside of the upper cell 7 with the outer atmosphere.

When the two cells 2 and 7 are brought into contact with each other, i.e. when the frame `8 has engaged the fraime 4, the fluid-tight connection between the cells is insured either by the lower outwardly extending edge of the diaphragm 11 as illustrated in the drawing or through any other packing means insuring perfect fluid-tightness.

The operation of said apparatus is as follows:

The two cells 2 and 7 being in spaced relation with reference to each other, the sheet 16 of pervious material to be treated is laid over the porous body 6. This being done, the frames 4 and 8 are brought together and secured to each other in superposed fluid-tight relationship. The lower cell 2 is then connected operatively with the source of vacuum and since the amount of air sucked out 'by the pipe 3 is larger than that of the air entering the cell 7 through the pipes 1S and 12, the elastic diaphragm l11 is urged against the uncovered section of the porous body 6 and defines thus clearly the outline of the sheet to be treated, as illustrated in interrupted lines in FIG. 1.

The treating liuid is then introduced into the upper cell 7 by opening the gate 13, which allows adjusting the output; the fluid thus introduced into the cell 7 is sucked through the sheet 16 as a consequence of the difference in pressure between the two cells.

FIG. 2 illustrates a modified embodiment of said apparatus wherein the deformable cell 7 is capped by a liuid-tight bell-shaped member 17 made of rigid material. A pipe 18 connects, through the agency of pressure-reducing means 19 the inside of said bell-shaped member 17 with a supply of compressed gas, which is not illustrated. Furthermore, the shunt pipe 15 on the pipe 12 is also connected through said pipe 18 with said supply of compressed gas. A gate 21 provides means for connecting said pipe 18 with the outer atmosphere.

The operation of said embodiment is as follows:

The sheet to be treated 16 being positioned over the porous body 6 and the frames 4 and 8 being secured to each other, the lower cell 2 is connected Iwith the source of vacuum. The elastic diaphragm 11 engages in contacting relationship as in the case illustrated in FIG. 1 the porous compound body 6 throughout its section surrounding the sheet 16 to be treated while the gate 13 is closed and the valve 21 is open. The gate 13 is then opened and the treating iiuid enters the deformable cell 7 so as to cover the sheet 16. This being done, the gate 13 is closed and after adjustment of the pressure-reducing means 19 to the desired pressure, the gate 21 is closed. The pressure of the compressed gas is then exerted both inside the 'bellshaped member 17 and inside the cell 7 which has no action on the diaphragm 11, but in association with the action of vacuum increases the speed of passage of the treating fluid through the sheet -16 to be treated.

FIG. 3 illustrates partly a further embodiment wherein it is possible to adjust the level at which the plate 9 lies above the frame 8 and consequently to modify the inner volume of the deformable upper cell 7. In such a case, the pipe 12 carries an outer thread 12a engaged by a nut 22 carried by the uid-tight bell-shaped member 17. Said nut 22 is axially and fluid-tightly connected with the upper section of the bell-shaped member 17 inside which it may rotate freely, while the pipe 12 is adapted to move vertically and is prevented from pivoting around its axis by any suitable means.

It will be readily ascertained that the operation of the nut 22 in either direction allows moving the plate 9 away from or towards the sheet 16 with a view to increasing or reducing the volume of the deformable cell 17.

Obviously, our invention is by no means restricted to the sole embodiments of our novel apparatus which have been described hereinabove by way of examples and in a non-limiting sense and it covers instead al1 the modifications thereof falling within the scope of the accompanying claim.

What we claim is:

1. An apparatus for treating permeable sheets, said apparatus comprising a lower cell having an open upper end and an upwardly flaring shape and including an upper edge bordering the open upper end and a first rigid frame extending along the upper edge, a porous body on said frame and extending across the entire opening in the lower cell, an upper cell including a second rigid frame corresponding `with said first frame and adapted to be secured in Huid-tight relation with the latter, a rigid plate positioned above said second frame and having a periphery which lies in projection within the outline of said second frame, a substantially frustum-shaped elastic diaphragm interconnecting said second frame and rigid plate, 1

means holding said rigid plate above said second frame, a container of treating fluid, a pipe connecting said container with the upper cell, means controlling the flow of liquid through said pipe, means connecting the upper cell with the outer atmosphere, and a source of vacuum pressure coupled to the lower cell; said apparatus further comprising a rigid fluid-tight bell-shaped member rigidly secured over, and in fluid-tight relation to, the frame lof the upper cell, a supply of compressed gas, means to adjust the pressure of said gas, a pipe provided with external threads and connecting said supply of compressed gas with the upper cell and to the space between the bellshaped member and said upper cell, means for connecting the last said pipe with the outside atmosphere, and a nut fitted rotatably in the bell-shaped member and engaging the threads on said pipe and adapted to be rotated relative to the last said pi-pe to cause a relative vertical shifting of the plate of the upper cell with reference to the bellshaped member and consequently to the frame of said upper cell.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,363,771 12/1920 Gilardini 69-29 X 2,648,079 8/1953 Ushakoif 69-29 X 2,702,229 2/ 1955 Ushakoif 69-29 X 2,749,737 6/ 1956 Ushakoi 69-29 PATRICK D. LAWSON, Primary Examiner.

ALFRED R. GUEST, Assistant Examiner. 

